Speaker
Description
This presentation examines how fixed-term employment contracts shape faculty integration and well-being in Japanese higher education institutions, situating the discussion within broader research on academic casualisation and precarious work. Drawing on Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, capital, and field, it explores how fixed-term status affects faculty positioning and access to valued institutional resources, including departmental participation and well-established professional networks. It extends existing Japan-focused literature by comparing international and Japanese fixed-term faculty and by incorporating the perspectives of tenured faculty with prior fixed-term experience.
Drawing on a nationwide questionnaire (n=94) and 17 semi-structured interviews from a wider mixed-methods study, this presentation focuses on three closely linked findings: fixed-term faculty often experience weaker departmental integration than tenured colleagues; this frequently coincides with marginal positioning within the academic field, including constrained participation in decision-making and uneven recognition of teaching and research; and these gaps in integration and participation are closely tied to lower workplace satisfaction and well-being.
Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results
Findings show that faculty on fixed-term employment contracts in Japanese higher education institutions often experience weaker departmental integration and lower workplace satisfaction than tenured colleagues, with integration closely linked to well-being. Many participants described marginal positioning in the academic field (e.g., limited status, constrained participation in decision-making, and uneven recognition of teaching and research). Stress was shaped by workload, student interactions, and language practices in the workplace. Experiences also varied by personal characteristics; participants reported that gender and race could influence inclusion and treatment.
Abstract section 3: Content/method
An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used to investigate faculty experiences on fixed-term employment contracts in Japanese higher education institutions. First, I administered a nationwide questionnaire (n=94) with closed items and open-ended questions. I then purposively selected 17 respondents for semi-structured interviews to deepen and contextualize survey patterns; tenured faculty with prior fixed-term experience were included for comparison. Quantitative descriptives, qualitative summaries, and thematic analysis were integrated during data analysis.
Abstract section 5: References
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood Press.
Chen, L., & Huang, F. (2022). The integration experiences of international academics at Japanese universities. Centre for Global Higher Education, University of Oxford. https://doi.org/10.5287/ora-445mdmb6d
Lopes, A., & Dewan, I. A. (2015). Precarious pedagogies? The impact of casual and zero-hour contracts in higher education. Journal of Feminist Scholarship, 7, 28–42.
Sato, K. J. M., Cotter, M., Skelton, W., & Schinckel, P. (2015). Investigating the impact of Japanese labour laws on limited term contracts for foreign language teachers at Japanese universities. Journal of the Society of Humanities, (98), 135–159. file:///Users/briandubin/Desktop/JB-98-135.pdf
Solomon, S., & Du Plessis, M. (2023). Experiences of precarious work within higher education institutions: A qualitative evidence synthesis, (8), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.960649
Abstract section 1: Relevance
Situating Japanese HE within research on academic casualisation and precarious work, this presentation examines how fixed-term contracts shape faculty integration and well-being (Lopes & Dewan, 2014; Solomon, 2023). Using Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, capital, and field, it shows how employment status influences positioning and access to valued resources such as departmental mobility and professional networks (Bourdieu, 1986). It extends Japan-focused literature by comparing international and Japanese fixed-term faculty and incorporating tenured post-contract perspectives (Chen & Huang, 2022). Findings inform practice and policy, including transparent pathways from fixed-term to permanent roles (Sato et al., 2015).
Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions
Overall RQ: What are fixed-term contract faculty experiences in Japanese HEIs?
RQ1: How do fixed-term faculty perceive their position and career entry/work conditions in Japanese HE?
RQ2: How do contract status and identity characteristics shape faculty positionality in Japanese HE?
RQ2.1: How do these dynamics affect integration, well-being, and job satisfaction?
RQ2.2: What socio-cultural, health, and economic factors do faculty link to well-being, and why?
| Title | Margin Walkers: Fixed-Term Faculty in Japanese Universities |
|---|---|
| Teaching Context | College and university education |